MCR Christmas Markets

Today’s post is all about my visit to Manchester Christmas markets!

Christmas markets are a thing of wonder – is there anything more comfortingly festive than indulging in a hot chocolate whilst making your way through endless stalls, surrounded by fairy lights, glittering decorations and Christmas music?

I’ll admit – after a very busy, anxiety inducing visit some time ago I’ve consciously skipped the markets for the past few years, happy to walk past and take a few pictures but never really venture in.

This year however, I thought it’d be a lovely treat to take my wife & parents for a mosey to get us in the Christmas mood and it was wonderful!

We visited the stalls in Market Street to start with just after the markets opened at 10am on a Saturday morning, and were able to freely stroll around as it was fairly quiet. From here, we shuffled across to Exchange Square where we spent a little longer browsing before treating ourselves to a mug of mulled wine.

If you do visit the Exchange Street Markets keep your eye out for a coconut Macaroon stall – we bought 3 that were still hot and they were absolutely delicious.

If you do happen to drop by for a warming drink after work or at the weekend, be sure to swing by The Mill Exchange in Exchange Square. They had so much choice, from classic mulled wine to a strawberry and amaretto variety, and they all tasted fantastic!

Our next and final stop was Albert Square – the main hub of the markets. I was a bit timid about visiting as I was sure it would be shoulder to shoulder busy, but to my surprise it was not!

We nipped through the Old Windmill House and spent some time taking in the vast amount of stuff on sale. This included trees, gifts, decorations, sweets, souvenirs and even a bulb/plant stall.

It was really nice to see so much variety – even if you only visit one section of the markets this Christmas, I’m positive that you’ll find something worth picking up.

Planning a visit yourself? You can find a full list of stalls, opening times and advice here – remember to wrap up warm, take your loved ones and friends with you, and have lots of holiday fun!

Thank you to my wonderful daughter and her wife to took us to the Manchester Christmas markets. It was the first time me and her dad had been, but it won’t be the last. The lights, the music, the wonderful smell of food , the endless stalls selling quality products and produce. Memories of the laughter and excitement knowing that Christmas is upon us , and the mince pie and mulled wine was so good . Well worth a visit.